The Connection 2 The Day After
by Norwesterner
Summary: It is the day after the special connection that EVE and WALL•E shared in the previous story, The Connection. Having tasted Heaven in relating totally with each other, how will WALL•E and EVE now go back to life on Earth, and their limitations?
1. Chapter 1

_Once again, I gladly thank Disney's Pixar Animation Studios for creating and owning the movie WALL•E and the characters of WALL•E and EVE._

_As with the previous story, this does contain some spoilers from the movie. So you (really) might want to ensure both that you've seen the movie, AND read the previous story in this now apparent series, "The Connection", first . . . at least if you want this to make sense!_

_There's been a minor fix in the beginning part here — as really, with her WALL•E Directive, EVE would help and care for WALL•E in her sleep, if it came to that._

_I hope this story moves you in even a fraction of the variety of ways (down and up) that it moved me as I was writing it._

_Enjoy._

_— — — — —_

_It's just a day here after I finished my previous story, The Connection, as I start this. In thinking about 'days after' as I woke up this morning, it made me wonder how WALL•E and EVE would deal with waking up the day after they had ever so briefly touched each other's minds and souls._

_After all, if you've touched the equivalent of Heaven, Nirvana, with your soul mate . . . experiencing more joy and communion than you could ever hope for . . . and then had to come back to a far more restrictive mortal existence — how do you deal with life, and having to relate to your beloved in such limiting ways again? How can you recapture the magic, the wonderful sensations of total awareness and total immersion with your 'other' that was experienced so vibrantly just the day before?_

_How can you now live without that?_

_Here then is the continuation of EVE and WALL•E's Connection story . . ._

* * *

_Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep_

WALL•E's "Low Charge" warning alarm had awoken him . . . as usual.

But he wasn't in his cube mode as he normally would be when he woke up. Instead, he found himself with his arms, treads, and optics fully extended. In fact, he was precariously extended upwards on his treads, embracing a dormant EVE, who was embracing him.

_Tink!_

WALL•E forgot that his optics were right up against EVE's black visor, as he bumped them into her face . . . no wonder he couldn't see anything!

Now EVE was awakened as well. Her blue eyes opened, looking right into WALL•E's optics . . . just before they disappeared as WALL•E fell over with a metallic crash down on the floor! WALL•E remembered why his kind cubed up when they went dormant . . . it just wasn't _safe_ to wake up any other way!

Before she was even fully conscious herself, EVE found herself down at WALL•E's side, helping him up. Whether she was or not, her primary WALL•E Directive was now always on duty. EVE's internal diagnostic check started to go through its routine. As her systems came online in their usual order, EVE's awareness and memory gradually returned. Meanwhile, WALL•E stopped sleepily groping for his treads on their accustomed rack, finding he still had them on! He started to remember why with a tinge of growing sadness, but also love, as he opened the truck's door to head up to the truck's roof for a much-needed charge.

EVE's memories of yesterday suddenly came flooding back . . . the _Axiom's_ Diagnostic Lab . . . her Universal Interface . . . establishing connection with WALL•E . . . talking in complete thoughts with him . . . starting to merge and share _everything_ with him . . . and then having to turn away from it all and waking up again as a robot . . .

"Noooo . . . Noooo . . . Noooo . . . !" EVE started to break down and sob uncontrollably.

Almost out the truck's door, hearing that stopped WALL•E in his tracks. He was now fully conscious — conscious that he really needed a recharge, but also conscious that EVE really needed him. His own memories of yesterday were returning too. But he had two overriding and powerful directives that were conflicting with each other . . . "Get Charge" and "EVE". His systems couldn't resolve which directive had priority at the moment.

"Eee-vah . . ." WALL•E called to her, as he just deployed his solar panels where he was. "Eee-vah . . . coommme!" he urged her, as he turned and stretched his arms towards her, while also trying to get a charge.

Still crying, EVE just hovered dejectedly towards WALL•E, and embraced him, forgetting that he had his solar panels deployed.

_Snap!_

EVE's fins inadvertently broke off WALL•E's outer solar panel flaps. That made her cry in frustration now. She just wanted to kick herself!

Her overriding WALL•E Directive kicked in though, and she turned in compliance with it from WALL•E's embrace, still sobbing, to go get replacement solar flaps to install on him from one of the shelves.

Matter-of-factly, she rotated the shelves and retrieved the flaps almost without looking at them — EVE knew where everything was in their truck without having to think about it. She returned with the flaps, and a screwdriver to attach them with. Her directive to repair WALL•E diminished her crying for the moment, although she still sobbed a little as she attached the new flaps to WALL•E, and ensured to her satisfaction that they were working properly.

WALL•E just watched her silently as she worked. EVE didn't dare look up into his optics as she performed her tasks, somewhat more slowly than usual. She couldn't look up into his eyes, she just couldn't — it would be too much for her.

With WALL•E's new solar flaps attached and functioning properly, EVE just stopped. Her fins were folded together in front of her, and she continued her blank downward gaze, seeming to blink every once in a while. EVE was numb . . . that was the only way she could cope right now.

EVE became preoccupied with her thoughts. She re-ran all that happened yesterday. What had she done wrong with the connection? Why couldn't it last? She found she now loved WALL•E so tremendously that it hurt. She ached for total connection with him again.

She remembered that the data transfer cable was still in her bio-stasis chamber. Part of her wanted to take it out and reconnect her and WALL•E right there. But her WALL•E Directive quickly reminded her that she had not performed a post-connection diagnostics check on his systems to see if they'd sustained any lasting damage from the first attempt. She couldn't go back to the Lab with him and go through it all again, she just couldn't . . . not now anyway. She couldn't bear to be disappointed like this again.

Another part of her began to explore why she didn't remain in their shared virtual realm with him while they were connected. For an instant, she had even contemplated the idea of remaining with him there in that realm of their connection . . . urging him to stay with her . . . right through the overload of his CPU . . . a suicide. But EVE remembered that she couldn't be sure she would die with him, and remain with WALL•E wherever his consciousness might go after his CPU failed. She just couldn't loose him and be left all alone — either within that realm — or out in the real world as a robot. So she had voluntarily terminated her interface with him, to save even just a limited existence together with him, rather than risk no continued relationship at all.

So EVE returned to where she was . . . the day after their connection. She had touched Heaven in being connected with WALL•E and all that he was. And now EVE was back, staring at WALL•E across an incredibly broad chasm of temporal existence. He seemed so very far away from her now. She was even seeming to look at him through prison bars — through her electronic visor from within her robot shell, while he was also in his.

EVE just did not know what to do . . . how to resolve this situation or her feelings . . . how to be happy again. She was with her beloved, yet she wasn't.

Suddenly, by a fluke, she had been exposed to a dream — an ultimate dream of connection, of _union_. And EVE had tasted it, experienced it for an instant! Then she lost it . . . _LOST IT_, she screamed inside.

If she hadn't met WALL•E at all, EVE would never know any of this pain. Yet she _loved_ WALL•E now, so very much.

_IT HUUURRRT_ . . . it all hurt within her.

EVE was stuck — at an impasse within herself. She awoke out of her thoughts, finding herself crying again.


	2. Chapter 2

Looking at EVE, WALL•E was at a loss as to what to do for her. He remembered yesterday now too, and what had happened between them. He, too, was sad that their connection hadn't lasted.

But to him, it was an unexpected gift, a great blessing, to have touched EVE's consciousness . . . _all_ that she truly was . . . and share even the briefest total contact with her. His understanding of her had grown. His understanding of himself had even grown. Their _love_ had grown. It was deeper. If EVE had been everything to WALL•E before — she was even more so now.

It was a good, even wonderful, thing though that it _all_ had happened.

WALL•E suddenly became aware that because of the connection with EVE yesterday, there was something new inside of him. It had taken root, and spread ever so lightly through his systems while he was dormant during the night.

What was it?

_EVE?_ Was EVE within him, within his consciousness_,_ he wondered?

It didn't talk back to him, but it did expand his awareness. _Yes_, he realized — some coding from EVE's consciousness had passed over into him, and had become part of him. For the first time, he was seeing more deeply into her than ever before.

WALL•E emerged from his own thoughts. He had a feeling now of what to do . . . of how to reach EVE . . . help her . . . _love_ her.

"Eee-vah . . ." WALL•E said, snapping EVE out of her own thoughts.

_Complete thoughts_ . . . oh how WALL•E wished he could communicate to EVE in complete thoughts again!

WALL•E's brain, his CPU, went into overdrive trying to pick a thought, even just one . . . and _speak_ it completely! For _her!_

WALL•E went within himself . . . welcoming his primary EVE Directive to override, even take over, as it worked with his limited speech synthesizing systems. He even called on what he perceived as the coding from EVE's consciousness to assist. While he wasn't very good at engineering or developing new code or software, WALL•E worked the best he could with the resources and capabilities he had.

Finally, he tried.

"Eee-vaah . . . WALLL•EEEE . . . heeerrrreee . . . fffffooooorrrr . . . yyyyoooouuuu."

It mentally exhausted him just saying that.

But EVE looked up at WALL•E's optics. Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing . . . a complete thought from WALL•E!

She just froze with surprise and a degree of wonder. Perhaps as an internal effort to heal, she had started to allow herself to cynically question if that well-spoken essence she encountered yesterday in the realm had even really _been_ WALL•E.

"WALLL•EEEE . . . coooonnnneeeecccctttt-ssshhhuuuunnnn." WALL•E gathered his strength. "Eee-vaah . . . heeerrreee." he said, pointing to himself.

For WALL•E realized that EVE, even just a piece of her, was truly now in his heart. _They were connected!_

"WALLL•EEEE . . . thhheeerrrreee!" he said, pointing to EVE's "heart".

"Llloooookkk . . ." he said, urging EVE to look within herself to see if a similar code fragment of his consciousness had made it into her.

EVE paused. _What __**is**__ he talking about? Look inside __**me**__??_ she wondered.

WALL•E could perceive she wasn't yet getting his point — otherwise she'd be happy. Simple as that, he thought.

"Llloooookkk . . . sssyyyyssstt-eeemmm." he clarified.

_Check my system . . . for WALL•E??_ she wondered, incredulously.

So, EVE shrugged and began a diagnostic analysis of her system. At least it would take her mind off her sadness for a moment.

"System anomaly detected." her diagnostics announced to her. "Unknown dormant code. Successfully isolated and quarantined. Non-viral. Not harmful or belligerent. Awaiting permission to access and integrate."

Now EVE _was_ curious.

"Access code," she instructed mentally, "No, override." EVE chose to access the new code directly herself, rather than let her diagnostic subroutines do it in isolation.

A presence started to emerge within EVE's consciousness. It was subtle, light — wholly unnoticeable to her when she was in the throws of her depression.

EVE couldn't talk with it. But it was there. It felt safe.

So she accessed and integrated it fully — allowing it to grow within her systems.

EVE's eyes started uncontrollably smiling.

"WALL•EE . . ." she said softly out loud, with growing warmth.

It was _him_ . . . at least a piece of the consciousness she had touched yesterday.

"Connection . . ." EVE confirmed to WALL•E.

_They WERE connected!_ Each of them had retained and brought back a piece of the code that made up the other's consciousness.

EVE proceeded to explore her piece of WALL•E's code as fully as she could. But she found it wasn't something she could experience or immerse herself in, as she had yesterday. It was only something she could be aware of, and allow to gently be a part of her mind.

She allowed this new piece of code to integrate with her WALL•E Directive. Suddenly, EVE gained not a rush, but a subtle breeze of new insights into WALL•E that would help her fulfill her chosen directive towards him even better than before.

She had a new awareness of him now, and she wanted to demonstrate it!

"WAALLL•EEEE . . ." she breathlessly whispered to him as her eyes seductively narrowed, "heeeerrrreeee . . ." she continued, pointing to herself . . . knowing now that this would just make him melt.

Which it did!

"Awwwwww . . ." WALL•E cooed, as EVE moved to embrace him, and thank him.

Then in recaptured joy, EVE squealed with delight as she just spark-kissed WALL•E all over the place! Little sparks danced from her head, fins, and body, connecting with his optics, cube, and arms.

WALL•E's Solar Charge Level display beeped and flashed happily, expressing his joy to her, as his eyelids narrowed in delight and he emitted that wonderful warbling sigh of his. EVE loved seeing such simple displays of joy from WALL•E.

Oh the joy all of a sudden that they both felt — just as they were!

EVE felt healed. The experience had still been rough, even harrowing, for her. But she was healed.

. . . and focused on WALL•E, which she realized now, was really the key to connecting after all — being focused on her beloved. EVE reveled in the connection that she _did_ have with WALL•E, and he did, too.

Oh EVE still wanted the total, immersive, _everything_ connection she had shared with WALL•E yesterday, and maybe someday she would try it again with him.

But not now.

Now EVE just wanted to celebrate the connection, and love, that she did share with WALL•E. But how, she wondered?

EVE backed away from WALL•E a little, opened her bio-stasis chamber, and took out the data transfer cable she had shared with him yesterday. She held it up towards the shelving, while looking at WALL•E.

"Where?" she asked him — where should they put this symbol of the connection they had achieved together?

WALL•E puzzled for a moment, knowing now how special this cable was to EVE.

"Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, holding up a finger.

WALL•E took EVE's free hand, and led her to their TV viewing area in the truck, where they watched "Hello Dolly".

He ushered her to the left side of the magnifying screen that was suspended by scissor springs in front of the tiny device that actually showed the movie. Carefully taking one end, his end, of the cable — he started to wrap it around the springs beside the magnifying screen.

EVE realized exactly what WALL•E wanted to do, and she started wrapping her half around the springs as well.

EVE and WALL•E looked at each other as they completed a basic knot in the cable, which would keep it always beside the magnifying screen . . . right next to the images that had taught them about love, and all that it's about.

They shared a spark-kiss to conclude this simple commemoration of their connection.

Then EVE froze for a moment, recalling romantic traditions, customs, and language she had been researching aboard the _Axiom_ a while back . . . realizing that . . . _she and WALL•E had tied, what was for them . . . the knot!_

She'd try to explain this metaphor to WALL•E later — along with things like weddings, plans, and more that all began to rush through her head once this realization struck her . . .

But not now.

She realized to herself though that it all fit . . . their connection . . . the cable . . . tying it into a knot where they could always see it, right next to where their movie about love played.

It was all a perfect symbol of their love. Something that she realized she couldn't have or experience in any way other than the way she was right now.

It was all a gift, and EVE marveled inwardly at what a gift her life, and her life now with WALL•E, was.

And their day, which now essentially was their honeymoon — at least as far as EVE was concerned — was just beginning. As was their life together.

It all fit perfectly.

EVE was happy, and so was WALL•E. They were in love . . .

. . . and they _were_ connected.


End file.
